Polishing Pads

[sevio]

I’ve searched and read a few of threads on which pads to use but haven’t seen much on the differences between pads. The stock foam pad, is that an actual polishing pad or just the backer? I purchased several different types of bonnets; microfiber terry cloth, etc. The packages all say foam is the best but I was unable to find additional foam bonnets. What do you use on your 7424 for polishing?

 

[HARLEY 2003]

Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pad

 

[PaulMys]

Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pad

Agreed. I also like the standard LC flats with the PC

Take the stock pad (included in the box) and throw it away. Don't touch your paint with it.

 

[dlc95]

On the Porter Cable 7424xp I usually use:
Buff and Shine, red for sealant application
Buff and Shine, black for cleaner wax polishing
Buff and Shine, blue for finish polishing
Buff and Shine, green for aggressive polishing / cutting
Buff and Shine, orange/black microfiber for extra heavy cutting.

I also really like the Lake Country Hydrotech line.

 

[Mike Phillips]

I’ve searched and read a few of threads on which pads to use but haven’t seen much on the differences between pads.

Help me out here, do you mean,

1: What's the difference between the types of foam pads as in foam cutting, foam polishing, foam finishing and foam waxing?

Or do you mean,

2: What's the difference between Lake Country, Buff and Shine, Meguiar's, Griot's, Adams, 3D, Chemical Guys, etc. pads?


The first question is easy, you have a scale of aggressiveness or ABRASIVENES from the most to the least. For example a foam cutting pad will be a LOT more aggressive than a foam waxing pad. The actual FOAM can be altered by adding different chemicals to the foam to enhance certain characteristics.

In the BIG PICTURE - unless you want to write an article, write a book or make video sharing lots of technical info about foam pads, that is, if you're searching for information to help you get some pads to buff out a car, then do what I call,

KISS = Keep it Simple Simon

Assuming, (and I hate to assume), but since you didn't say, assuming you want the right pads to buff out a neglected car, then you'll need at a minimum some foam cutting pads and some foam polishing pads. You can tackle just about any project with just these two pads. It's nice to also have some foam finishing pads in case the paint you're working on is soft and mars easy but in most cases a foam "polishing" pad will finish out on most paints.

What's more important is the STUFF touching the paint and that's the compounds, polishes and cleaner/waxes. It is these things that have ABRASIVES in them and it is the abrasives that TOUCH the paint first, not the foam. If you use junk for products you'll get junk for results.

The pads are no where near as important as the abrasive technology as long as you match the type of pad to the process you're performing. If you ask 10 detailers or just detailing enthusiasts, what is the most important thing when it comes to polishing paint, easily 50% of the people you ask will say TECHNIQUE. And they are all wrong.

The stock foam pad, is that an actual polishing pad or just the backer?

It IS a real and usable foam buffing pad. The problem with it is it's so THICK it won't work very well when it's dry and it won't work at all once it starts to become wet with product. I call this PAD SATUATION. It's real simple,

1. Wet pads don't buff good.
2. Thick pads on free spinning tools don't rotate well.
3. Thick wet pads don't rotate at all.

Here's my article on this pad from 2012, 7 years ago as I type this reply in 2019


The white foam pad that comes with a Porter Cable Polisher

I purchased several different types of bonnets; microfiber terry cloth, etc. The packages all say foam is the best but I was unable to find additional foam bonnets.

What do you use on your 7424 for polishing?

I can see you're new to using a Porter Cable.

In the old days people used a polisher like the one you see below and when using it they used a variety of different BONNETS on the foam backing pad. The foam backing pads was NOT used to actually buff on paint but as the interface that held the bonnet.


You can actually see a bonnet on the Chamberlain Orbital Buffer in the picture below. B

ut note all the polishers behind it have foam buffing pads on the backing plate but no bonnets on them.

Here's my article on the above polisher from 2009

TOB = Traditional Orbital Buffer aka The Wax Spreader



What you want to do with your Porter Cable random orbital polisher is to get some simple flat faced foam buffing pads.


Tell me what you're working on and what you're trying to do and I'll do my best to help you to get the right pads.

What you DON'T want to do is try to buff out a car using bonnets on the Porter Cable polisher. It's not going to work.

 

[sevio]

Help me out here, do you mean,

1: What's the difference between the types of foam pads as in foam cutting, foam polishing, foam finishing and foam waxing?

Or do you mean,

2: What's the difference between Lake Country, Buff and Shine, Meguiar's, Griot's, Adams, 3D, Chemical Guys, etc. pads?




What you want to do with your Porter Cable random orbital polisher is to get some simple flat faced foam buffing pads.


Tell me what you're working on and what you're trying to do and I'll do my best to help you to get the right pads.

What you DON'T want to do is try to buff out a car using bonnets on the Porter Cable polisher. It's not going to work.

Mike,
Thank you for the response. I've watched so many videos over the past week that I thought I had pieced together a decent plan for what started out as 'hey, I should ceramic coat my truck, boat and new RV!' When I was younger I loved detailing my car, hell, who didn't when they were 16 years old with a new old car!? Now I'm 50 and wow, I didn't even know what claying was! So, I know enough about forums to try and not drop in as a new member and throw down a giant turd of a thread, but that's exactly what I did! Sorry about that. I've watched several hours of video, in a nut shell, I've gleaned that I need to wash the vehicles really well. This has dovetailed into soaps, degreasers, wash bucket, rinse bucket, top down washing, etc. Got it, I've had fun doing that all week learning the 'new' process. The next step is claying, I'm pretty comfortable with this, the weather has been crap so I'm waiting this out as I'll just have to start over washing. After claying I'm prepping for the polish. These are new vehicles, the paints are all in really good shape. I ordered the PC 7424xp and thought, oh, just grab a few 'pads' and in a week or two I'll be ready to dive in. That's where this post came in. I got the polisher yesterday and went to find pads for it only to realize I had no idea what all I needed. I just assumed it came with the backer. After reading the first few responses in here I've ordered the 5" backer plate with hook and loop and a variety of Lake Country CCS pads. I appreciate the responses, thanks for taking the time!

 

[Kamakaz1961]

I dig ANY Lake Country Pads! I use the Lake Country CCS (FOAM) Pads for my PC7424XP. I prefer the 4" Pads for the PC as it tends to work the best at that size (IMO). I use the following pads for my PC7424XP

1. Compounding: I use the Orange Pads
2. Polishing: I use the White Pads
3. LSP: I use the Black/Red/Gold (have all 3). I like the Red of the 3 the best. But can't go wrong with any of these 3.

As for the 5" It will do the job! Let us know how things went and KEEP ON ROCKING!